Mona had loved trips to the public pool when she was a teenager. Her mother had trusted her, at a young age, to wander the few blocks with her friends and be back at the agreed upon time. Mona was an excellent swimmer and perhaps that was why her mother had not been worried about her going without an adult. Whatever the reason, Mona had never taken it for granted and spent countless hours there during summer breaks. Being in the water had been the only other place that made her feel peaceful (other than being surrounded by or lost within books).

Today, the water of the pool was unseasonably cool against her bare arms as she treaded near the edge of the deep end. She was complaining to herself that it was supposed to get up to 80 degrees today and that it didn't feel even close, when Chrissy appeared from under the surface with a gasp and a splash right in her face. "Jeez Chris, you know my eyes are sensitive to chlorine. Stop being such a turd!"

As Mona began to rub her eyes, the feeling of cool water faded and she felt a breeze across her face. When she opened her eyes, her vision was a little blurry. She struggled to focus in the dark and began to realize that she was not in a pool...and Chrissy was nowhere in sight. What a strange dream but not as strange as waking up in the dark when the last thing she remembered was walking home from work.

She could feel that she was laying on her side on a hard surface and her hands were bound behind her. The earthy smell let her know it was likely bare ground and she was probably outside. It was rather dark but there was a faint light in the distance. She knew, that as her eyes adjusted, she would be able to see more. She could feel a scream wanting to crawl up her throat but she refused to panic...At least until she knew where she was.

She had no idea how she had gotten here, but was not going to alert whoever had brought her here to the fact that she was now awake. Afterall, who would know she was gone? She was not due back to work for days and she lived alone...Her chest felt tight with the effort it took to swallow her fear. She closed her eyes and tried to use her other senses for clues. The breeze was cool and smelled of dirt, a bit muddy, like damp earth and a faint underlying mineral or metallic smell. As she strained to listen, she couldn't hear the breeze that she could feel but, every so often she heard a distant noise. The noise was very low and seemed a good distance from her. She held her breath and remained as silent as she could manage. The pattern and soft echo of the sound led her to believe that it might be water dripping from somewhere. She opened her eyes again and allowed them to adjust slowly. The muted light barely lit the place but it was enough to confirm that she was in, what looked like, a narrow cave. She could see a few tree roots protruding from the earthen wall nearest her and began to wonder how far from town her abductor had taken her as she knew of no caves in the wooded areas around Rivershead.

Even as she laid there, not knowing her fate, she didn't feel overwhelmingly frightened. There was almost an odd sense of calm washing over her. She was able to keep a level head and start thinking about how she should proceed. She shifted her hands a little to check the strength of her bonds and found them not uncomfortable but very secure. After a few moments, she began to squint and strain to make out anything else about her surroundings. As she did a brief but sharp pain flexed along the back of her head. After wiggling her eyebrows to test her theory, she knew what the odd metallic scent had been earlier and could feel some warmth now throbbing from the spot that was radiating a now dull pain. She was bleeding from some sort of head wound but couldn't tell how serious it was. She supposed that since she didn't feel weak and sleepy that it meant that it wasn't bleeding profusely and hopefully was not from a serious concussion.

The chill of the air started an involuntary full body shiver as she tried to adjust her position on the cool ground. She hadn't realized that she was so cold until the shiver had started and it felt as though all remaining warmth was seeping out of her extremities. Her teeth began to chatter as she tried, in vain, to get into a sitting position. The frustration was let out in an exhausted sigh. As soon as the sound left her lips, she regretted it.

Mona cursed herself silently as she heard some rustling nearby and a few footsteps coming nearer. Hands grasped her by the shoulders, lifting her swiftly but gently off the ground. The hands/arms quickly retreated and she felt herself now sitting on a cool, hard surface. She remained perfectly still and silent as the owner of the hands walked around and came into view. She didn't know what or who to expect but was still shocked when her eyes adjusted on the face of the man she had almost run over with her cart earlier that day...or at least she thought it was still the same day, though she had no way of being able to know how long she was unconscious or what time of day it was outside.

"Are you alright? Do you feel sick or weak?" His voice was breathy and calm. Was he trying to reassure her? Mona half laughed.

"Hah! Are you trying to be the good cop now? After knocking me over the head and abducting me? What are you hoping to accomplish? I have no money. Neither does my family." Mona had almost said 'and no family' but, at the last second, decided that admitting that no one would come looking for her was probably not the greatest idea.

"I realize that this looks bad." His voice sounded shaky and nervous as he fumbled to untie her hands. He motioned for her to lean to the side and he leaned forward, trying his best to not make her uncomfortable. "And I truly hope that you can one day forgive me. The binding was for your own safety. I was not sure what the accident did to you and was unsure if you would awaken in violence." His voice had now become soft and syrupy smooth. Mona felt him trying to soothe her like a scared animal.

She vaguely remembered falling and pain...then felt the throbbing at the back of her head again. "What accident?"

Mona thought she managed to ask the question in a normal tone but the look on his face made her doubt herself.

"You were almost hit by a car. Do you not remember?" His face seemed to hold genuine concern but it was still rather dark and she couldn't be certain.

"I think I remember falling and I can certainly feel that I hit my head rather hard." The man let out a small gasp and stood. He shuffled a few steps away and a dim light illuminated a small corner of the cave. He came back with a backpack and a small lanterned that looked to be battery operated. He placed the lantern on the stone beside her and began digging in the bag. She watched him fish out a sandwiched sized red metal box. It was a little rusty and the white cross on the front let Mona know that this stranger was actually trying to help.

As he opened the box paint exploded around the hinges like a small dusty fireworks display. He set a few items out on the lid and then seemed to find what he was searching for. "I am so very sorry. I was not aware that you had been injured. I would never have left you here if I thought anything, such as this, had happened." His eyes were somber as he motioned for her to turn and give him access to the injury. He let out a soft sigh as he leaned in for closer inspection. "It is a small scrape. The blood is not much. I will clean it up if you will allow. Hopefully you did not hit your head hard enough for any unseen injuries. Please allow me to help and we can check out the rest after."

When she looked up into his face, she met his eyes. They seemed almost black in the dim light of the lantern; a little intimidating. However, the creases of concern at their corners and between his brows, made his overall features seem less so. Mona exhaled a long breath that she hadn't known she'd been holding in and replied. "Alright, but...if you really want me to trust that you do not have evil intentions...you better start talking. Were you following me when I left the library? What happened with the accident and how did I end up here? Do not leave anything out and maybe start with your name, who you are and why you were in the library this morning."

"As you wish. May I suggest that I tell you enough to ease your fears and then we move to a location that you are more comfortable with? I can feel the anxious energy rolling off of you in waves and I do not wish to distress you any farther. I have a feeling that after I explain those few things that you will have many more questions." He had finished cleaning the small area of her scalp and had been packing the bips and bops back into the tiny first aid kit as he spoke.

Mona grew more nervous now. She thought that she had been faking calm pretty well but her shoulders slumped with the realization that he could so easily read her, even in the low light. She felt as though she didn't have options and agreed...if for nothing other than to get the hell out of that cave. "Alright. What is your name and who are you? You seem to know me."

"My name is Darric and I do not know you, though I have heard of you from others." His face was unreadable.

"That is incredibly vague." Mona felt frustration growing in her stomach but if it was squeezing out the fear, she was okay with that. "What sort of accident happened and how did you happen to be there when it did?"

As you were crossing the street, a teen driver sped around the corner and did not see you. He attempted to break but would not have made it without hitting you. I had been about 10 feet behind you, leaving the library as well, and dashed to push you out of the way. I had tried to cushion or control our fall but I fear I am the cause of the scalp wound anyway." His eyes lowered to the floor at the last.

She stiffened at his careful choice of words...only answering as much as the asking of the question had specifically requested. She tried to choose her words more carefully as well. "Were you following me? And is that why you were at the library this morning?"

"Yes...and yes." That was all he said...like he thought that that would be enough. Mona gave him the full weight of her best 'you have got to be kidding me' look and waited for more. "I have been sent to fetch you. I can tell you a little more but I can still feel your nervous energy spiking even higher than before...or maybe it's anger. Can we please go somewhere that you will be more comfortable? I do not wish to stress you further. I fear that I have done irreparable damage by being overly cautious with you already."

"Fine!" Mona was choking back her anger mixed with an unhealthy dose of anxiety. "Are we still near town?"

"Yes. We are at the edge of the woods, near the..." He looked off for a moment, seeming to search for the words. "The Plumwater river. Only about a 15-minute drive from town."

Mona had never known that there were caves along the river but she did not let that show when she responded. "Alright! Let's go to Myer's diner then. It is just on the edge of town from this direction."

Darric offered a hand to help her up but Mona scoffed and said "Not a chance! We are soooo not to that level of trust and friendship yet. I can stand on my own."

They only had to walk a short distance before she could see the cave entrance and was amazed by how much difference a few yards made when it came to the amount of light that came into the cave. When they made it to the mouth, Mona saw that they were only a few yards from the road as well. She had lived here her whole life and had had no clue that natural wonders like this were right under her nose. She made note of the stretch of river that she could see from where they stood and a very distinct rock formation along the bank. She would definitely want to come back for another visit if she made it out of this abduction alive.